Reconciliation
by peteynorth
Summary: Wondering how Jason could find himself back in the bat-fold. I'm not a regular reader of the comic books, but have done enough research so that I think there shouldn't be any glaring continuity errors. This is set to take place shortly after Countdown t
1. Chapter 1

He liked St. Patrick's Cathedral. It really wasn't a good spot for monitoring for criminal activity, but it was fun to tear around the roof and pillars of this magnificent structure. With other buildings, Nightwing needed to exercise caution and restraint; the number of structural outcroppings and decorations that made for adequate hand or foot holds were minimal, and Dick needed to be sure to always hurl himself within reach of one. Using the decel line to avoid being splattered was for aerial amateurs like Bruce and Tim, not for the greatest human acrobat, though even he had to admit to mistakes being made and slips occurring...on rare occasions. Even barring mid air or rooftop combat, which are a separate category and not to be ashamed of, sometimes fatigue or injury levels had been underestimated, and from time to time Dick had missed his mount and found himself in a state of freefall, forcing him to admit a personal defeat and use the damn grapnel. The decel lines were for transportation, not to act as safety nets; Flying Graysons shouldn't need safety nets to do their jobs.

But with St. Patrick's Cathedral Dick could throw caution to the wind. There were enough pointy objects jutting from every surface of the structure that he could fling himself around like a monkey in a tree without any real fear of falling. Unfortunately, tonight's visit would be absent of flinging. He had broken up a gang fight, nothing he hadn't done dozens of times before, but in saving a gang member from a bullet, Nightwing had put himself in the path of said bullet and it glancing against his left shoulder had left a painful bruise. Nothing serious, but enough to drop him well below optimal performance level. Once the battle was effectively mopped up, Dick had decided to call it a night and started heading in, taking a moment to rest at the cathedral on his way to one of the safe houses Bruce had purchased; one of several equipped with a bed, shower and plenty of changes of clothing.

Of course, as soon as he sat down on the edge of the roof looking over the front of the vast structure he knew that he wouldn't be heading for bed quite so quickly. "Well, are you just going to stare at the back of my head all night, or are you going to sit down and talk?"

A moment of silence passed before a gruff voice emerged from the shadows behind Nightwing. "What makes you think I'm here to talk?"

"Oh give it a rest Jay." Nightwing chuckled. "You do know Donna is like a sister to me. Do you really think she'd go bouncing through dimensions with my resurrected little brother and not call me as soon as she got back? I know you still have plenty of issues to sort through, but your head's screwed back on enough not to come after me again."

Red Robin stepped out of the shadows and sat down next Nightwing, looking out over the city as well. "What else did Donna say about me?"

"That...that we should give you a chance at redemption."

Red Robin huffed. "Believe me, I'm not after redemption."

"I know." Nightwing replied, almost absently. "Women can exaggerate things. But I genuinely think you wouldn't be opposed to a truce, maybe even opening a line of communication or two. Or am I way off base?"

The right side of Jason's mouth twisted upward ever so slightly. "As much fun as kicking the snot out of you and Bruce have been, I guess I could take it easy on you guys for awhile. But that upstart little shit had better stay the hell away from me."

"I won't even lift a finger on your behalf if I think for a moment you pose any threat to Tim." Dick calmly, yet very assertively stated.

"Fine, I won't go after him, but he'd better give me a wide berth." Jason conceded. "Why are you defending the kid, anyway? Aren't you at least a little pissed about the shaft-job we got in terms of costumes compared to what he got. That thing's actually pretty cool."

The two former Robins shared a chuckle. "Your anger at that shaft-job is mis-directed. It was my design after all."

"Yeah, you must have been a weird friggin' kid." Jason smiled and looked at his adoptive brother, who had kept his eyes forward the entire time. "So, any chance of Bruce getting on board with this truce?"

Dick shrugged. "You're a murderer, Jason." Nightwing's head lowered before he continued. "But I'll make him accept it. If being murdered doesn't qualify as extenuating circumstances, then I guess nothing does." The older man smiled. "Well, I guess it's time for me to fully take this outfit of yours in." Nightwing twisted his head up and looked over Jason's costume, an unexplainable feeling of familiarity washing over him, one that he quickly dismissed. "Not bad. Lucky for you we called this truce though. You're going to need all of Bruce's high priced lawyers to fend off the copyright infringement suit Doc Midnight is going to bring against you."

"Up yours, Mini-bat." Dick snorted at the comment and gave Jason a playful elbow. The two vigilantes finally met each other's gaze. Jason looked away and shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry Dick. Sorry for killing while in your outfit. For attacking you. I was so...angry. So incredibly angry. I'm still angry, the rage ready to boil over. But none of it's directed at you. It never really was." Red Robin's shoulders slumped down. "I don't know why I came after you. I guess I could oppose them, but you...I always... well, I really wanted you to join me, to fight as my brother."

"We still can." Dick put his hand on Jason's shoulder, gave it a squeeze before starting to get to his feet. "Come on, there's a big couch at the safe house with your name on it. We'll catch some Z's and figure things out in the morning."

"You trust me?" Jason asked as he raised his lens-covered eyes to meet Nightwing's. "After everything I've done?"

Dick looked down at the still seated young man. "Stand up." Jason did as he was told. "Take off the mask." Again, Jason complied. Dick stared intently into Jason's eyes for several moments. "Yes, I trust you. But I'm easy, Bruce isn't. Now let's head home, I'm tired."

Jason smiled as he righted his cowl. "So what else did Donna say about me?"

Grayson only laughed as he leapt from the cathedral.


	2. Chapter 2

"Sit down." The eyes of Bruce Wayne seemed to bore their way through the skulls of the two men standing on the other side of the dining room table. "Both of you." Dick and Jason shared a quick glance before doing as told.

The door to the garage opened and closed, and footsteps were heard entering the kitchen, pausing for several seconds, and then advancing toward the smallest of the four dining rooms in the Manor. "Hey Bruce, are we expecting company?" Tim called out as he pushed the door open and started into the room. "Alfred's made enough..." The sixteen year old boy froze as he caught sight of Jason Todd seated at the table. He started into a combat ready position, but stopped as he noted the fairly relaxed posture of both Bruce and Dick. Tim looked at the original Robin. "Hey Dick, good to see you, didn't know you were stopping by."

"Yeah, figured a drive across the Hudson would be a good idea today. I called this morning to let you guys know to expect us, but you'd already left for school." Dick smiled, volleying the ball back into Tim's side of the court.

Tim decided that he'd have to be the one to point out the six hundred pound gorilla in the room. "I see you've brought a guest. How nice." The teen slowly made his way between Jason and Bruce.

"Relax squirt, I come in peace this time." Jason stated as he heatedly stared at the boy.

Tim looked to Dick, sending a silent question. Dick nodded, so Tim slowly sat down at the table. "Good to know."

"Let's get down to it then, shall we?" Bruce's authoritative voice shattered the silent tension between the younger men. "So, what is the purpose of this peaceful visit of yours, Jason?"

"I was wondering if I could borrow your tools." Jason smirked. "According to Dicky boy, I've got some fences to mend."

"More like bridges to unburn." Tim grumbled.

"I'm sorry, who are you again?" Jason snapped as he glared at the youth.

"Someone who didn't earn his spot by committing theft!" Tim snarled back.

"Fu..."

"Shut up!" Bruce pounded his fist on the table, paused to let the three young men take in his fury, and opened his mouth to continue.

He was interrupted by the door swinging open and Alfred walking into the dining room with a large metal tray with matching cover. The elderly man sent a smile to both Dick and Jason, his gaze on Jason lingering, the combination of joy and fear clearly etched on his face. He then made his way toward Bruce at the head of the table and lowered a plate of steaming lasagna, asparagus and chopped carrots in front of him, following with a tall glass of milk, and then continuing to the others. "Dinner is served, young masters."

"I hope you fixed a plate for yourself, Alfred." Jason said, almost antagonistically as he sent an daring look toward the blue-blooded Bruce and Tim.

"I appreciate the sentiment, Master Jason, but it isn't my place."

"He's right Alfred." Dick countered. "This is family business, not a formal affair. You're as much a part of this as any of us, so grab a plate and a chair. We'll wait."

Alfred smiled and started to shake his head, but before he could voice another refusal Bruce chimed in. "Listen to the boys Alfred, we need you aware of everything that will be said and done here, as well as providing input of your own. As Dick said, it's family business, and you're part of the family."

"As you wish." Alfred announced as he left for the kitchen to retrieve his dinner.

A few moments later Alfred was seated across from Tim, and Bruce addressed the table. "Alright, now that the family is complete, let's get to it." The head of the house turned and looked directly at the resurrected young man. "Jason, believe me, there's nothing that would please me more than to welcome you back with open arms, both as a son and as a partner. And to say that you've gone through ordeals that none of us could imagine would be an understatement. But you've committed murder. Whether or not you were in your right mind while doing so might be a murky area of speculation, but there's no doubt that you were lucid and rational while doing so. Even if I could overlook these past transgressions, refrain from turning you in to the authorities, and forgive you, what assurance do I have that this won't be repeated?"

Jason met the stare the entire time, and paused a moment before answering. "You're making a few assumptions. First, I'm not asking for anything. I don't want anything from you, not anymore. You've got a new son, you've got a new partner. I've been replaced, and I'm fine with that. Also, I couldn't care less about your forgiveness."

"Jay..." Dick whispered angrily.

"What?" Jason snapped across the table at Dick. "I'm not here to offer a mea culpa and beg to have my old room back. I'm here to offer a cease-fire, nothing more. I thought you understood that."

"Perhaps I mis-stated things then." Bruce interrupted. "I was illustrating my desires, not yours. My enlisting Tim as my partner and adopting him as my son are no more a replacement of you than my doing so with you was a replacement of Dick. The fact is that from the day I took you in you've never not been my son. You were taken by death, but you were still my son, and now that you've returned to life, I want you back, if not in my house than in my life in some capacity. If you find my desires to be offensive, then I'm sorry, but that's just the way I feel." Bruce allowed a moment for his words to sink in. "Now, as far as us being together on a professional level, that's far more complicated. My concerns regarding the continuation of your homicidal behavior need to be addressed."

Jason quelled his emotions and forced a smirk as he glanced at Dick before answering Bruce. "I assumed that Dick vouching for me meant something."

"Trust me, it means everything." Bruce replied. "But I want to hear it from you."

Jason looked down at his untouched dinner and nodded slowly. "Fair enough." He turned to look at the other faces at the table before settling on Bruce. "I'm done killing." Jason paused and his eyes seemed to drift off to another place before he continued, his voice distant. "With one possible exception."

Bruce nodded. "I see."

Jason turned back and focused his eyes on his adoptive father's. "If...when we encounter the clown, my intentions will be to take him down by the book. But I can't promise anything."

"That's not good enough." Tim muttered.

"What?" Jason muttered as he turned his attention to the boy that was, to his dismay, his adoptive brother.

Tim met Jason's glare and calmly replied. "Nobody can fault you for your hatred of the Joker. But if you're going to be out there, either with us or on your own, you need to put justice above your hatred and thirst for revenge."

"How dare you, you little shit?" Jason snarled. "You have no idea of what I've been through! You have no idea of what it's like! Even if Bruce gave me a shovel and left me in a field with you and a pine box, and in the unlikely event you mustered the stones to break out and dig your way to the surface, even then you'd know only the tiniest fraction of what I've been through!"

Tim nodded before calmly answering. "You're right, I don't have any idea of what you've been through. I'm not trying to judge you or minimize your experiences in any way. You are completely justified in your rage against the Joker, but this justification doesn't dismiss the fact that you are willing to take a life." The boy's gaze turned icy as he continued. "And the chances are good that your excessively violent behavior may not be rooted in your death and resurrection. Care to tell me about Felipe Garzonas? The file on the computer seemed a bit...abridged."

Jason stood suddenly, his chair sliding back and tipping to the floor. Despite his aggressive movements and posturing, the rest of the table remained calm. Jason too seemed to relax after a couple of seconds, turned, righted his chair and sat back down. "OK, let's see. Felipe Garzonas...Felipe Garzonas...Felipe Garzonas...oh yeah, son of a diplomat who raped a girl. He was shielded from justice by his father's diplomatic immunity. From what I recall, I went to pay him a visit, saw him on the balcony, landed a few feet from him, which unfortunately startled him enough for him to fall over the railing and to his death. Is that what you want to know?"

"That's your official answer?" Tim sarcastically replied.

"That's the truth." Jason firmly replied. "I went there to beat him to a bloody pulp. How bloody I didn't know, I did a lot of things without thinking them through. But I did not so much as touch him. He saw me land, leapt away from me startled, and down he went. I did not commit murder...not on that day anyway."

"But you could very easily of saved him, yet chose not to." Tim pressed.

"I suppose you're right." Jason shrugged. "I didn't stop him from dying. What a blockbuster of a revelation that must be for you." The choice of descriptive for the type of revelation was not lost on anyone at the table, and both Tim and Dick's eyes shamefully dropped. Jason picked up on this and smiled, leveling his gaze at Bruce. "I'm not here to bash Dick. Quite the opposite. In the eyes of both of you he's damn near the pinnacle of what a human being should be. Hell, he's that in the eyes of most capes, even me. He's a better man than I am...he's a better man than you are too Bruce." Tim raised his head, Dick's eyes remained fixed on his plate, a deliberate attempt to refrain from seeing Bruce nod in agreement. "He's fallen short of your ideals, not just with Blockbuster, but he beat the Joker to death too. I love him for that, even if it was in response to thinking Redturd here had been killed because of Smiley. Hearing that the Huntress resuscitated the friggin' clown actually dropped her a peg or two in my estimation, as well as contradicting what I thought I knew of her. Anyway, I don't see these things as faults with Dick, I see them as faults in your goddamn expectations. I readily acknowledge I've gone much farther than he's gone, and if you're going to pass judgment on me in regards to the criminal scumbags I've killed, then so be it. But if your judgment is going to be based on letting a piece of shit fall to his death, or my potential willingness to kill the Joker, then screw you. I don't need you, and am perfectly content being lumped in a category occupied by your better."

"Jason, stop." Dick whispered. "I'm nobody's better. Those are things I regret to the very base of my soul, things I'll spend the rest of my life trying to atone for."

"Everyone is more than willing to give you the opportunity for redemption." Bruce muttered as he rested his chin on his hands, thinking deeply. "Jason will be given such an opportunity as well." Bruce straightened up in his chair and directed his intense gaze at his middle child. "But there will be some ground rules that you will abide by. Is that understood?"

Jason thought about pointing out that he had not requested anything from Bruce, that he didn't need his forgiveness or approval, that he didn't need or want to be a part of his life again. But even if he thought there'd be a chance of Bruce buying the lies, he no longer had any desire to spit them out. "Yes sir."

"Excellent." Bruce reached forward to take his fork and spear a short stalk of asparagus. "Now, on to the details of bringing you back to life from a legal standpoint."

"Yeah, if you can pull that one off I'll be really impressed." Jason quipped, eliciting a subtle grin from Bruce. The tension that was present just a moment before seemed to fade from the room as they all seemed to find themselves on the same side.

"Tell me Jason, do you remember Nickles Manley?" Bruce asked.

Jason shrugged. "Small time bookie. The only reason he blipped on our radar back in the day was that he reportedly took bets from high school kids. But even then, we had much bigger fish to fry. And a few months ago, when I was pretty much running the Gotham underworld, he still wasn't much."

"He was found dead yesterday." Tim offered matter of factly. "Presumably killed by a rival bookie looking to steal his action."

"I'll be sure to send flowers to his common law widow." Jason muttered, a little confused. "But I'm not sure what that has to do with me."

Jason wasn't the only one with this question, and all eyes turned to Bruce. "Nickles may have been small time, but his ability to keep records was most impressive. Tonight Robin is going to sneak into the crime scene, his house, and alter his records going back four years. Tim's going to add a record of a quarter million dollar gambling debt owed to him by a then-fourteen-year-old named Jason Todd."

Jason smiled. "You're telling me that I was run out of town and faked my death because of a mook like Nickles?"

Bruce nodded. "To the public at large you weren't a crime fighter, you were a street kid taken in by a blue blood looking to enhance his philanthropist reputation. Those that knew you considered you to be impulsive; the idea of you running up a huge gambling debt, especially in light of your new found environment, would be one they could believe."

"So with the news of Nickles' untimely demise I can come out of hiding?" Jason asked. "I don't think so Bruce, those that took Manley's business will also have taken on his outstanding debtors. Especially one's owing so much."

"Your debt to Nickles was merely to provide your motivation for wanting to disappear. When you are discovered I will be so happy to have you back that I'll eagerly pay off your debt. I'll just publicly lament that you felt you couldn't come to me in the first place." Bruce replied. "The more difficult task was to explain away your death in Ethiopia. Fortunately, with your mother's embezzlement being revealed, that opened up the possibility for her to have had criminal partners. Enter Andrej Blahnik, a Czech national who was last seen alive a week prior to your death. Twenty years old at the time of his disappearance, he had garnered a fairly impressive criminal resume and would be a good fit as a partner for Sheila Haywood." Bruce reached into his suit jacket and pulled a small printout from his pocket, one of a mug shot of the person in question, and slid it toward the center of the table. "He was five foot four, athletically build, dark hair, blue eyes, and as you can see, close enough in appearance to you that given the physical injuries involved, an addle-minded billionaire playboy could mistakenly misidentify the body as yours."

"Sounds good," Dick chimed in "but there's a chance this Blahnik guy is still alive, or at least was beyond Jason's death. He or someone who'd dealt with him since then popping up could screw things up for us pretty badly."

"Blahnik died four days before Jason." Bruce answered. "A shallow grave was discovered by Interpol last week. Checkmate took control of the investigation and identified the bodies. It appears to be a hit on a Russian mob boss named Nikolai Akhatova and nine of his thugs that were unfortunate enough to be present with him at the time, including Mr. Blahnik." A smile came over Bruce's face. "I have a...contact within Checkmate's hierarchy, one willing to do me a favor. The official report will read that Akhatova and eight of his associates were found. Blahnik's body should already be flying over the Atlantic." Bruce turned to the youngest member of the group. "Tim, please prepare the hangar for Sasha's arrival after dinner." He then turned to Jason. "Once she's here, you will need to take the body and put it in a replica of your casket, which you will then bury in your grave. Consider it penance for the shit you've pulled these last several months."

"OK, good so far, but you've still to explain why I'm finally going to be coming out of hiding." Jason said.

"Simple. You'll be discovered because of your older brother's indiscretion." Bruce answered.

"Uh, what?" Dick asked.

"I have a villa outside of Monaco that I have not been to in six years. That has been where Jason has been lying low for more than four years." Bruce explained. "Though he never felt he could confide in me regarding his gambling debt and continued existence, he did choose to confide in you. In those years you've made periodic trips to the villa with money and other provisions, the records have already been added to the computer archives of various airlines and the applicable customs documents will be added in the coming days. In the near future you will rekindle your romance with Cheyenne Freemont, and invite her on a trip to the Monaco villa for the weekend, a trip where the paparazzi corps will definitely follow Ms. Freemont. In the unlikely event that she spurns your romantic interests, then confide in her the real reason for the trip; she knows your secret anyway. Actually, it may better with her knowing, as then she won't make any attempts to shake the photographers. Anyway, arrive at the door of the villa, give the photographers some steamy shots they'll be sure not to miss, and Jason will open the door, revealing himself to the cameras. Should they choose not to publish any of the photos with Jason, I'll be sure that Clark either gets a hold of them or sees to it that someone who would recognize Jason does. One way or the other, Jason will be discovered." Bruce finally shoved the piece of asparagus into his mouth and started chewing.

"OK, I'm impressed." Jason smiled before cutting into his lasagna.

"You know, I am seeing someone now, it might lead to something serious." Dick mentioned as he too took a scoop of lasagna from his plate, and continued through a mouthful of food, much to Alfred's dismay. "A public weekend trip with an ex...whatever would definitely put an end to that."

"It's your brother Dick." Bruce replied. "There will other girls." Dick nodded in complete agreement, but shared a look with Tim. There would be other girls, plenty of them, and each one of them would wind up devastated or worse for getting involved with these men. He would probably be doing Deb a favor by ending it before it really began. He'd have to break it off with her prior to his escapade with Cheyenne, he could at least do that for her.


	3. Chapter 3

"As you no doubt realize, the database has been expanded greatly since your...departure." Tim explained as he sat at the computer terminal with Jason looking over his shoulder. "It will take a great deal of time for you to get back up to speed on the current status of allies, enemies and cases. I suggest spending at least an hour a day studying these, as well as going over past case files. Your marital arts seem not to have suffered too much due to your absence, but your detective skills most likely need to be honed a bit, so the prior cases can act as effective study guides in that regard."

"Are you saying I'm not a good enough detective?" Jason baited.

"If you think you can't be well served by this material, then so be it." Tim replied, exaggerating the level of disinterest in his voice, as he stood up out of the chair and started walking away.

"Wow, a little testy there." Jason egged him on. "Sounds like someone's getting close to their period."

"Up yours Todd!" Tim whirled around. "Unlike you, I take this job seriously! I keep up on the files, which are very valuable! Though the personal file on you doesn't accurately convey what an asshole you are! If nothing else you should take the time to read that one, you might learn a thing or two about yourself."

Jason was taken aback. "You read my file?"

Tim calmed. "Yeah, when I first started training to be Robin. I..." Robin paused.

"You wanted to know how to avoid being like me, huh?" Jason snarled.

"No. I wanted to know what strengths you had that made you good at the job." Tim replied, almost defensively. "And I wanted to know what traits you had that may have gotten in the way. I studied Dick's file too if it makes you feel any better."

"I'm sure you did, but not for the same reasons." Jason continued in his angered tone. "Dick's is the quintessential 'How To', while mine was the 'How Not To', right?"

"I'm not getting pulled into this Jason." Tim replied as he turned away and started walking across the cave.

"I may be hot-headed," Jason called after him, "but at least I don't sulk away like a little bitch!"

Tim spun. "Hey Jason, how are the balls?"

"Fully healed and the size of coconuts." Jason retorted. "How's the ass? The imprint of my boot still there?"

"You can see for yourself when you bend over and kiss it!" Tim snapped.

The two young men stared heatedly at one another for several seconds, the tension waning with each passing second before Jason's mouth twitched, and both of them burst into laughter. "Alright, truce kid. I just wanted to wipe away some of that polish you've got on all the time."

Tim walked back toward the computer and playfully shoved Jason out of his way as he sat back down. "It's not polish, it's called hair gel."

"Whoah, was that a joke?" Jason quipped. "You've definitely adopted the Dick Grayson school of Robinhood."

"At the risk of acknowledging such a horrible pun, I will tell you that Bruce regards not allowing Dick to take an active role in your training as one of his greatest mistakes." Tim replied. "And your file is not altogether unflattering. You were impulsive and hot headed, not exactly newsflashes, but otherwise there was a great deal there for me to admire and learn from."

"But not like Dick's." Jason finally pulled up another chair and sat down next to his successor.

"Dick's amazing, but his case file wasn't that much use to me." Tim explained. "For one, he had fun. Real fun. Not just the exhilaration that we all feel, or the malicious glee we get at beating the crap out of someone who deserves it, but he genuinely had a hoot. I'd love to feel that way, but while I love this job, at least most of the times, it still is a job."

"Yeah, Dick just doesn't seem to be angry or vengeful enough to be in this club." Jason agreed.

"Secondly, one of the main reasons Dick was so successful was his acrobatic skills, which no one on Earth has a chance of matching, not even Bruce. I'd swear the guy was meta if I'd not seen Leslie's medical files on him myself."

"Good to know I'm not the only one who's jealous as hell of the flyboy." Jason smiled. "It didn't take me long to handle myself on the ropes, but the shit he can do is just astounding."

"Yeah, and while I fully intended to take my aerial training very seriously, I knew that Dick's abilities were largely innate. No amount of practice would take me to that level."

"Watta Dick." Jason joked.

"And lastly, I really didn't need Dick's file as I had Dick around to teach me firsthand." Tim looked over his shoulder at the older boy. "I'm sorry you missed out on that, I'd probably have lost my mind if it'd only have been Bruce to deal with."

"Well, I don't know about that." Jason commented. "But you'd likely have been impulsive and hot-headed." The two boys shared a smile, which seemed oddly comfortable given their tumultuous history. "Anyway, one of the big things that surprises me is that Gordon hasn't come out after all these years."

"What?" Tim was stunned. "I may not be at Bruce's level when it comes to detective work, but I'm pretty certain that Jim's straight."

"I'm sure he is." Jason replied. "I was referring to him coming out in regards to knowing Batman's identity. Not publicly, I get why he wouldn't do that, but at least to us...I mean you guys."

"Provided he does know, and I'm not sure he does, I understand why he wouldn't want to acknowledge it; to himself, much less us." Tim paused for a few seconds. "And you are a part of us." Tim extended his hand.

Jason looked at it, but finally accepted it and shook it. "I am sorry for what happened at the Tower Tim...Robin."

"It's forgotten." Tim smiled.

"Oh, I know you've been trying to forget it." Jason grinned mischievously. "I would too if it had been my ass to get kicked that badly."

"Give me time asshole," Tim replied as he turned back to the screen in front of him. "You've got a couple of years on me, and I've got plenty of growing to do. Provided I can get enough sleep that is."

"Rain check then." Jason chuckled.

"Good to see you two interacting without killing one another." Bruce said as he approached the terminal, startling both of the young men.

"Good to see you're still into making creepy entrances." Jason retorted.

"Here." Bruce tossed a box to Jason. The young man had to twist in his seat to catch it, and then set it down on the terminal in front of him and opened it. Inside was his an altered version of his Red Robin costume. "I've made some tweaks. I've also selected a new name for you. I can't have two Robins working with me, makes things too confusing. And the precursor 'Red' just isn't adequate. Going forward you will be known as Raptor."

Jason pulled his suit out of the box and noted the shade of red had been darkened, the black cape was a dark brown, a beak formed over the nosepiece on his cowl, and a series of small equipment compartments shaped like a pair of talons were over his chest armor. "Cool. I've come a long way from the gay-ass short-shorts and pussy bird name." He looked at Tim. "But the name works for you."

"Thanks." Tim grumbled.

"Try it on, get accustomed to it, and then put it away." Bruce advised. "You leave for Monaco in the morning, and you've got a lot of digging to do between now and then. Sasha's agreed to give you a lift."

"I still can't get over you needing a bodyguard." Jason chuckled.

"Lucius threatened to quit if I didn't agree to it." Bruce replied humorlessly.

"Alright, Cheyenne's on board." Dick called out as he too entered the cave. "I explained the entire situation. She may not be a candidate for the future Mrs. Grayson, but I respect her enough not to use her as an unwitting pawn."

"Yeah, he definitely doesn't belong in this club." Jason joked.

"OK." Dick replied confused, but not interested enough to ask what Jason was referring to. "Now excuse me, I've got to break things off with Deb."

---

Like with virtually all of Bruce's plans, things had gone off without a hitch. The picture of him greeting Dick and Cheyenne at the door of the villa had been on the cover of The Daily Star, and a former classmate that had moved to Metropolis quickly recognized him. The story was picked up immediately by Clark Kent of The Daily Planet, and in a matter of days Jason Todd and Bruce Wayne had made their reunion amid a media circus at the Gotham International Airport. Bruce came across as a confused, yet loving and unquestioning father. Jason met his brother Tim for the first time at the Airport, and eldest son Richard was interviewed relentlessly, as being aware of the situation, and enabling it to take place, he was seen as the bad guy. As much as he didn't want to end up like Bruce, he was developing the same irresponsible rich kid with poor judgment reputation that had followed Bruce throughout his entire adult life. But Dick seemed to be weathering it. At least the grin on Nightwing's face didn't betray anything but pure joy as the three men to have at some time held the title Robin stared out over Gotham together. Nightwing turned to Raptor and noted Jason smiling back. "Thanks Dick. This..." Raptor turned to Robin and gripped his shoulder warmly. "This feels right."

"You and I should have done this a lot more before you were..." Nightwing shrugged. "Well, let's make up for lost time." Dick then turned to Tim. "Alright Robin, this is your city now, Raptor and I are leaving for New York in the morning, so why don't you show us around?" The sixteen year old smiled, stepped to the edge, aimed his decel line, fired and flew out into the night, immediately followed by his brothers.

From atop a skyscraper several blocks away, a dark figure watched on, an uncharacteristic smile etched on his face. This was how it should be.


End file.
